The present invention relates generally to so-called sandwich grills, and more particularly to improved sandwich grills having novel arrangements of elements, greater versatility, which are capable of improved and simplified operation, and which incorporate other advantages in use.
Sandwich grills in general are well known, and are typically comprised of upper and lower heated platens, together with additional structure arranged so that the upper platen is movable between open and closed positions to facilitate inserting sandwiches or other articles into the appliance for cooking, and removing them when they have been heated or cooked to a desired degree. While many such devices are satisfactory in use, there still remains a need for a sandwich grill type appliance which has additional advantages, and which will achieve improved operating characteristics without substantially increasing the cost or complexity thereof.
In many prior art sandwich grills, careful attention from the operator has been required in order to insure that the sandwich was being grilled or toasted within a reasonably short time without being burned. Other sandwich grills are not adapted to accommodate satisfactorily sandwiches or other articles to be cooked where the articles are of different vertical heights or thicknesses. In some prior art sandwich grills, means were not provided for insuring that the sandwich grill cover or upper platen remained parallel to the lower platen portion when unusually thick or thin sandwiches or other food products were sought to be cooked therein.
In still other grills or toasters of the type in question, the lower platen and the upper platen were arranged such that too little or too much pressure could be applied manually to the food product, and in many of such constructions, satisfactory means were not provided for permitting the top cover to achieve a desired height above the lower platen portion, particularly a height which could be repeatedly attained and yet simply adjusted.
Still further, no prior art sandwich grill has provided a combination of adjustability, ease of operation, cover suspension facilitating parallel alignment between upper and lower cooking sufaces, and location of the operating and adjusting elements in the most desirable way from the standpoint of ease of operation and maintenance.
Certain other prior art sandwich grills were not adapted to be easily cleaned or able to be simply adjusted when the occasion demanded. In still other prior art grills the movement-limiting adjustment interfered with loading and unloading of the machine.
In other prior art appliances, the adjustment means did not allow for a relatively broad range of adjustment, while permitting the adjustment to be made as precisely as the user desires.
Detailed descriptions of sandwich grills having one or more of the features referred to above may be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
Chandler, 1,609,694 (Re. 17,114); PA1 Lemaster, 1,661,294; PA1 Chandler, 1,697,754; PA1 Jaeger, 1,706,611; PA1 Cannon, 1,708,258; PA1 Strader, 1,738,972; PA1 Leavitt, 2,211,900; PA1 McCullough 2,264,094; PA1 Price, 2,607,287; PA1 Kudo, 2,632,379; PA1 Majerus, 3,068,778; PA1 Morley, 3,776,124; and PA1 Lamatina, 2,865,280.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings of certain prior art sandwich grills, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sandwich grill for cooking or toasting food products.
Another object is to provide a grill in which the lowered position of the upper platen may be adjusted without substantially affecting either the initial or the continuing downward forces applied to the article to be cooked.
Still another object is to provide a sandwich grill in which the minimum height at which the upper platen may be positioned can be adjusted, with the sandwich or other article to be cooked being ideally just slightly thicker than the space provided between the platens.
A further object is to provide a grill in which the operating handle may be initially manipulated to move the upper platen and its supporting structure downwardly, whereby the upper surface of the article may be contacted only lightly, or in which the article may be compressed to a limited degree; and also in which the downward movement of the upper platen is positively limited so that the operator cannot undesirably compress the article to render it unpalatable or unattractive.
Yet another object is to provide a sandwich grill in which the user or operator of the appliance may rapidly move the cover to a fully lowered position without fear of damaging the cooked article.
Still a further object is to provide a sandwich grill which includes a cover leveling feature and a counterbalance spring to limit forces acting on the article after the cover is lowered.
Another object is to provide a sandwich grill having means disposed at the rear of the unit for adjusting the lowered position of the upper platen unit in use, and in which the cover mounting arrangement permits the cover to remain parallel to the lower cooking surface, or to align itself parallel to the upper surface of the food product, as may be desired.
The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice by providing a grill assembly for sandwiches and other like articles to be cooked which includes upper and lower heated platens, means supporting the upper platen and mounting it for movement between a raised position and a range of selected lowered positions, means attaching the upper platen to the supporting means for free but limited pivotal movement so as to permit said upper platen to lie parallel to said lower platen throughout said range of lowered positions, means counterbalancing at least a portion of the weight of said upper platen and said support means, and adjustment means for determining which of said lowered positions said upper platen will occupy in use.
The exact manner in which the foregoing and other objects and advantages are achieved in practice will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth by way of example, and shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout.